Introduction
The opportunity to explore films from a literary perspective allows for focusing on broad themes resembling the issues in social life. In particular, the film American Made, directed by Doug Liman, portrays a smuggler working for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) who cooperates with drug cartels and earns money illegally without being punished.
The themes of power and crime protrude in the film in two aspects. Namely, the main character breaks the law by smuggling illegal products, and the CIA is involved in weapon smuggling to Central American countries. In this regard, this paper will explore the themes of the intersection of crime and power by claiming that influential actors in the decision-making domain can usurp power to commit crimes without punishment.
Power as an Enabler of Crime
Throughout the film, the CIA is portrayed as a powerful entity capable of covering any illegal activity, as well as initiating and condoning it. In this regard, any project that the employees of the CIA propose seems possible and justifiable, although not legal. Indeed, in one of the scenes in the movie, the main character asks the CIA representative if the work they offer him is legal. The representative answers that it is if it is done for the “good guys,” meaning the CIA that allegedly serves the interests of the country (American Made 00:07:20-00:07-35).
Researchers of the intersectionality of power and crime in intelligence claim that such a stance is commonly attributed to high-ranking bodies of governmental power due to their role in defending the state. Indeed, since “sovereign vitality is to be defended at all costs, executive actions undertaken at the behest of the sovereign cannot be criminal” (Hughes 243). In other words, the claimed ultimate beneficial outcome justifies the means, including illegal actions.
However, it is not always the case because people with access to power might abuse it and fulfill unlawful intentions under the cover of an influential party. The context of the Cold War between the USA and the USSR in the 1970s and 1980s serves as a background to the events portrayed in the film (Hughes). Indeed, Barry Seal’s involvement in illegal actions is validated by the ultimate goal of helping his country, which seems sarcastic due to the criminal means people with power use to serve the claimed goal.
In this regard, the state might be involved in unethical and illegal activities that must not be condoned but are omnipresent in contemporary society due to the monopoly of states’ decision-making as opposed to individuals. In the film, the smuggling of weapons is an example of the CIA’s, as a powerful entity, use of its secret agency status to break the law by enabling the criminal, namely Seal, to engage in unlawful activities (Hughes).
The main character escapes punishment because of his involvement with the CIA. This episode vividly demonstrates that the connections with the powerful parties allow for avoiding law enforcement and committing illegal actions without risk of imprisonment. Thus, the dilemma associated with the ambiguity of crime when committed by a powerful party becomes more prominent.
At this point, the implications of a powerful entity are deemed to be the cause of the unpunished crime committed. However, one might focus more deeply on the complexity of the cause-and-effect relationship between individuals and cultures since they both seem influential at the level of intelligence organizations like the CIA.
On the one hand, a person might seek to fulfill their unlawful intentions using their position of power. On the other hand, the organizational culture dictates unlawful actions (Willmetts 801-803). Indeed, in the film, the CIA is represented as a powerful system that can regulate any issue, thus justifying crime.
However, researchers claim that the wrongdoings of intelligence organizations cannot be explained merely by culture (Willmetts 802-803). Indeed, new intelligence employees “might well be inculcated into a particular organizational culture, but values, attitudes and belief-systems, in short, mentalities, run much deeper,” and are formed by their backgrounds (Willmetts 803). Thus, when seeking responsible parties, one might fail to punish since the overall connotation of unpunished crime committed by individuals and organizations with power is inherent in the contemporary justice system.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the discussion of the film American Made, which explores the ambiguity of crime in the context of power, has demonstrated that the structure of influence distribution allows for power abuse and crime. In the film, smuggling is justified, condoned, and encouraged by the CIA, which claims to protect the interests of the state. In this regard, the ethical and justice-related dilemma occurs due to the double standards of punishment and responsibility for the crime.
However, since organizations with unlawful reputations comprise people with their own backgrounds, it is difficult to identify the sole responsible party. Nonetheless, it is noteworthy that ethical standards beyond the influence of the state should be incorporated to regulate responsibility for the crime to eliminate the opportunity for power usurpation.
Works Cited
American Made. Directed by Doug Liman, Universal Pictures, 2017.
Hughes, David A. “Blurring Intelligence Crime: A Critical Forensics.” International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy, vol. 11, no. 1, 2022, pp. 242-246.
Willmetts, Simon. “The Cultural Turn in Intelligence Studies.” Intelligence and National Security, vol. 34, no. 6, 2019, pp. 800-817.